Soaring above the school on prom night is a bad time to find out your date is afraid of heights.

“He was quite nervous. He wanted to take the car and I wanted to take the helicopter,” Central Kings grad Hillary Dort said of her date, 18-year-old Kentville resident Reid Cameron.

“He didn’t realize he was afraid of heights until we were up there.”

The pair swooped down on the Central Kings soccer field June 21 in a helicopter owned and piloted by a family friend.

“They came and picked us up in the backyard,” the 17-year-old Waterville resident said. “We did a little fly by and then came down. It was very fun and it was very cool to see everything from up above.”

Dort said it was the first year CK grads had done a formal entrance for their big night and she wanted a fun surprise. After clearing the idea with the school administration, she kept the plan to herself in case weather prevented the high-flying arrival.